The Six Samurai - The Rise of Shi En
by Architectural Oshawott
Summary: Having been established to destroy all who oppose the Emperor throughout ancient Japan, The Six Samurai became legendary for their ruthlessness, as well as their honour. Witness this legendary faction endure an assassination plot, as well as battles both on the battlefield...and against each other, The rise of the new Shogun, the destruction of the old, and a new chapter.
1. Chapter 1

The impact was catastrophic…and the defenseless ronin had not yet felt it.

'A shame.'

The town was in ruins. Habouring traitors to the emperor. An assassination was to be carried out before sunset. Tabokito's sword just silenced both it's architect and it's hope. I stood in awe in the wake of this destruction. Shi En was never more in his element than when he was in the midst of a battle, especially when that particular battle was rather one-sided. The overwhelming heat of the flames surrounding me made my skin burn, a drop of sweat trinkled down my face, yet I dared not move. My sword, Also covered in the blood of the Ronin, was raised in a defensive position. It was never unwise to defend oneself from Shi En's blows, even if they are unintended.

The ronin opened his eyes, staring right at the Six Samurai. Without moving his head, He placed his hand on his neck, felt the blood where the sword cut clean through, and sighed. He had discovered his fate. ' Impressive.' He whispered, but even this primitive action allowed a trickle of blood to escape from his mouth. ' The Double-Edged Sword Technique has passed down to yet another Shien, I trust the alterations to the katana you wield played a vital part?' Shi En strode confidently to his captive, a slow, determined pace, the stride of the invincible. 'You _will_ tell us about the assassin, this…Black Luster Solider,Where is he situated, and where is he planning to strike?' The Ronin laughed, maniclly, forcing gushes of blood to flow from his lips, rapidly losing colour. ' Why, dear samurai, if you wanted to know that, you should not have fatally wounded me.' It took me a brief second to comprehend these words, and that was all it took. The ronin looked towards the sky, and, without hesitation, felt his head detach from body, where it fell unceremoniously to the ground. I stared at the wreckage. The houses in flames, masses of people either injured….or worse, littering the streets, Shi En, allowing his temper to cloud his judgement, decimating without strategy with no shred of information. 'A shame.' I repeated.

We knew of the main protagonist of the assassination attempt. Unfortunately, it seems that the traitor had already struck a deal with someone , before we attacked. ' We were too late.' I thought, walking to the bodies that layed in a pile before me. I knelt down to examine the bodies. A man, woman…..and two children, a family. Shi En needed to keep his sword, and his temper, in check, if he was ever to ascend to the rank of shogun. 'Who is the 'Black Luster Solider?' I asked, turning around in a quick motion to see tabakito's back turned to me. I could see his massive shoulders hunch upon hearing those words. ' A fine warrior.' He replied, shedding his sword. ' A powerful man whose origins are beyond this island, A warrior who, if our records are to be believed, is the sole orchestrator of a hundred thousand kills.' I let that number sink into my thoughts for a second, feeling the impossible words wrap around me like whisps of fog.

'One…hundred….thousand?'

I shook my head, eradicating the disturbing thought. ' Where can we find him?' I asked. If this warrior was as fierce as is claimed, the samurai would need to return to the temple, perhaps escort the emperor to the safety of it's walls. Shi En turned towards me, his eyes filled with fury. ' The only person who knew is lying dead before me!' He shouted, scaring away what little birds were stupid enough to witness the discussion in the first place. With his katana raised, Shi En plunged it into the headless corpse, ushering blood from it's chest, staining the samurai's armour. I simply watched. Shi En was a marvelous warrior, but he just cannot be reasoned with when he's angry. The dead family lying on the ground proved testament to that.

The sounds of silenced footsteps interrupted my analysis.

I turned to face the origin of the sound, my sword in hand. Tabokito did the same. A samurai wouldn't have been so loud on approach in a still-hostile territory. The flames ushered smoke into the air, clouding the mysterious silhouette. I quickly checked the immediate surroundings, attempting to find any vantage point I could cover. Of course Shi En would destroy or set alight any place I could use. I ran towards the only piece of cover not burned down by the samurai's hands, observing the area in case tabokito needed assistance. Regardless of his reactions, I would need to talk to him when we arrive at our temple. The warrior escaped the plumes of smoke. His face impassive. The blue armor he wore reflected the flames around him. Part-mirage, part-nightmare. The sword was distinctly foreign, curved with an intriguing shape near the top. The man's face was impassive, his eyes completely focused on the Six Samurai leader. ' I believe you were looking for me.' He stated, his voice holding the command of authority.

That was all tabokito needed.

With a mighty roar, Shi En charged towards what I now assumed was the Black Luster solider. It was a lightning-quick flurry of motion. He impacted with his foe, sending them both to the ground. Shi En raised his katana, attempting to end this battle early…..but the adversary was too quick for him, easily grabbing on to the samurai's arm, fighting for control of the katana. It wasn't a fair contest. Shi En's armor was designed by Kageiki, a formidable ally , The armor used electricity to enhance the strength and speed of the wearer. and the samurai leader's armor displayed the most innovation. In short, nothing short of a rock slide would be able to stop him.

So why was he struggling?

The enemy stared into tabokito's eyes. His face not showing any hint of emotion. He used one of the hands he used to hold Shi En's arms to punch him in the chest. It couldn't have hurt, the armor was near-impenetrable, but the shift in momentum allowed the solider to draw his sword, and, with a swift strike, disarmed the samurai, sending the katana to the ground….in pieces. Shi En stared at the Black Luster Solider for a split-second, shock running through his face, before he recollected and drew his secondary sword. In a heartbeat, Shi En engaged the warrior, sending strikes again and again. Here, Shi En was more of a match. The solider parried each blow, though not without effort. Shi En sidestepped, found an exposed flank in the slider's side, and thrust the sword, Again, It was parried. The solider spun around to meet the samurai in the face once again. But now he had made his mistake. His back was completely turned to me. The perfect opening. I dashed towards the solider, every step as stealthily as possible, my sword in hand. The solider turned around to face me. His face made of stone. I stopped. It was unwise to engage the threat singlehandedly. But it distracted him enough for Shi En to engage once again. The samurai ushered a swift strike, right to the back of the solider's legs. This time, it impacted. The sword cut into the armor. Blood began to trickle from the wound. This time, I could see the emotion in the Black Luster Solider's face.

He smiled.

Without thinking, I raised my sword in the air, and thrust it into the solider's face. The warrior went down instantly, showing no resistance. The corpse impacting the ground with a muted ' thud'.

I stared at my victim. It couldn't have been that simple. There was another agenda in play here. The Black Luster Solider could not have been relatively easy to kill. I retrieved my sword, and placed it into my helm. I stared coldly at the fallen foe once more.

' It was a decoy.'

Tabokito stared at me, paced towards me, and placed a hand on my shoulder. He was never one to give gestures, and the action spoke volumes. ' We must return to the temple.' He whispered. I nodded ' Such an adversary would have defended that blow.' 'Indeed.' Shi En replied. confirming my thoughts. ' Where is the real foe?' I asked, ambition creeping into my voice, but I kept it in check. Shi En engaged boldly enough for the both of us...


	2. The Sky is Black

Kageiki raised his latest creation in his arms, satisfied.

The sword was crafted using a new blend of material imported from distant lands, unknown until recently. Although it was seen as dishonourable to allow foreign influence on japanese culture, the samurai reserved the term ' honour' for his duty to serve, and for nothing else. He slowly twirled the weapon around, allowing the helm's simple ornamented lines brush against his fingertips. It was perfectly balanced, as if an extension of the warrior's arms. With a swift strike, Kageiki effortlessly shorn a sheet of steel in half. A smile spread across the samurai's face. The Shogun would appreciate this.

Dark clouds threatened to dilute the pleasent spring afternoon, Raindrops added their sound to the surroundings, a simple ' Pitter-pattar' accompanied by the surrounding wildlife chorus. Kageiki always felt most at ease between battles, when the biggest threats were the occasional wolves that littered the surrounding plains. The safety of the temple walls were of a great comfort. The Six Samurai were dispersed throughout Japan in times of dire crisis. They were the elite warriors that were summoned when all else failed, so only a select few samurai were within the temple's walls for a significant amount of time. Kageiki smiled, allowing the cool drops of rain fall down his face, dripping down his armour, The sword concealed within a wooden box, protecting it from the moisture. There was word from Kizan and Tabokito, They were to arrive before sunset...with grave news. Kageiki questioned the need to keep the information secret, only to be spoken in the presence of the Shogun, but Kizan was a keen stragetist, and valued the need to only share information when strictly nessecery. Rumours were spread throughout Japan, however. He had heard it in the neighbouring towns. An elite warrior, an assassination to be carried out, The Emperor's life at risk. Kageiki faced the Shogun's quarters, His face more serious. If the 'Elite Warrior' indeed existed, the Six Samurai would put an end to his schemes, of that he was certain. Satisfied, Kageiki walked towards the samurai leader's dwelling, pondering just how the Shogun would react when he witnessed his new weapon.

Mizuho took a deep breath, and relaxed.

The forest offered no clues for her. The only sounds were ripples from a nearby stream, accompanied by the rustling of leaves by the light wind.

The ninja's were exceptional in the art of stealth.

Shinai stood by her side, his weapons drawn, his expression stern. The samurai pursued the cowards deep into the black forest, where they unknowingly handed they're adversaries a distinct advantage. It was a major tactical error, and Shinai valued tactics more than anything else. ' We should retreat.' He whispered, no doubt knowing the enemies ears were open. ' Regroup, and draw them away from here, flourish them out into the open plains.' The forest continued to protect and mask the ninja's presence. The wind increased in velocity, almost mocking the samurai's hopes of finding their enemies. Mizuho exhaled, feeling her breath escape into the open air, clearing her mind. ' Too late.' she replied, and knew what was coming. With a single strike, Mizuho swung and decapitated the ninja who was very nearly on top of them. Blood extruded from the fatal wound, coating Mizuho's armour in a deeper shade of red. Shinai eyed the surroundings, His massive club-like weapons charging with electricity. He spotted another foe attempting to silently attack Mizuho's exposed right flank. With his armour fully charged, Shinai dashed towards the adversary. With his armour augmenting his natural agility, the samurai was able to reach speeds even the ninja's would have trouble replicating, and the unfortunate foe's head was beneath the samurai warrior's club before he had a chance to react. Mizuho witnessed her fellow samurai's triumph, and turned around_ just_ as yet another enemy attempted to bury his sword into her chest. Mizuho easily side-stepped, grabbed the victim's arm, and pulled it from its socket. To his credit, the would-be assassin did not scream. A single slash across the throat put the ninja down for good. Shinai's arms were raised, the two foes brave enough to stand across from him could now witness the electricity course through the warrior's armour, through the weapons he bore. Retreat must have crossed their minds, but, being foolish, attempted to attack him from two sides. ' Divide and Conquer', Shinai thought, and shook his head, slightly disappointed. The first ninja attempted to slash at his legs, the second, attempting to behead him. Shinai raised his leg, avoiding the lethal blade and delievered a full-force kick right to his victim's chest. With Shinai weighing 225 pounds, plus the strength of his armour aiding him, the kick was nothing short of a death sentence. The corpse falling unceremoniously to the ground proved testement to that. Almost as soon as the kick was delievered, Shinai crouched, avoiding the second ninja's blade by mere millimetres. With the doomed foe's momentum now fully placed in the failed shot, he was powerless to avoid the crippling blow of the samurai's club to the chest. Bones extruded from the blow, The ninja spending his last breath staring at his murderer's eyes, his own paced with terror, before he too joined his brothers, falling to the ground.

The bird's resumed their mid-afternoon song.

A battalion of bodies layed before the samurai. Mizuho crowched, eyeing the trees beyond, searching for the next threat. Slowly, she moved toward the body next to her, and pulled the medallion wrapped around the victim's neck. It was circular, wrapped in silver metal, and bore an 'x' in its centre. Mizuho swore. She had acquired enough intelligence to decipher the ninja medallion ranks, This ninja was a mere recruit.

It meant that these men were under the command of a ninja of high rank, which means-

'MIZUHO!' Shinai yelled, pointing straight ahead!

No time to react, a flurry of shuriken's struck the female samurai, squarely in the chest. Mizuho fell backwards from the momentum, landing right on top of the corpse she had just examined. A lifetime of training kicked in, overiding the shock. Mizuho grapped her earlier victim, with a grunt, and lifted him in front of her, acting as a human shield. The muffled ' thud thud thud' of the second round of shurikens tearing the fallen ninja's back apart. Mizuho could hear Shinai utter a terrible war cry, and from the corner of her eye, could see the warrior engage the target. The adversary wore armour matching the area around it, green and black pieces melding together, mimicing the trees. This spelt disaster. This ninja was an elemental apprentice! Shinai swung at the ninja with the full force of his clubs, hoping to end the engagement early, but to no avail. The enemy disappeared, as if evaporated. The forest suddenly became a _much _more hostile enviroment. Mizuho pulled the shurikens from her armour plate. They were embedded deep into the metal, missing her stomach by centimetres. Worse, the chest armour's electricity flow was affected. This would affect reaction times. Shinai must have understood his companion's concern, 'We should retreat.' He whispered, shame covering his voice to the point of embarrassment. 'You are in no condition to fight.' Mizuho eyed the trees. The wind blew in a south-easterly direction. With advanced intelligence, One could intercept a foe's movements simply by listening to the note the air produces. A split-second lapse in this note would indicate a body was interrupting the wind, but this note was consistant and clear for a solid minute, the entire forest was acting naturally. The only anomlies here were the samurai.

The ninja had gone.

'He's gone.' Mizuho commented, lowering her weapons. Ninja's were intelligent, perhaps this one was calling for reinforcements. Maybe there was a camp situated here. If there was _another _elemental ninja nearby...

'Look!' Shinai demanded, pointing to another body near the stream. Mizuho strode towards the fallen foe. In Shinai's hands was a list, caked with blood, though the words were still legiblle. 'Mizuho!' Shinai uttered, ' We must return to the temple!' 'Why?' Mizuho asked, crossing her arms. Shinai was worried, not much made him worried. ' It's the emperor...He's coming to the temple...The ninja's are attempting to assassinate him!'. Shinai had only barely finished the final sentence before he turn and dashed towards the small forest opening. Mizuho followed, straining from the inept chest armour piece. Something was afoot, and the samurai felt that fate was set in motion, whether she was involved in it or not...


	3. United

'Enishi crouched, The armor flexing slightly under the abnormal strain. Kageiki was a fine inventor, but his latest creation encasing the lone samurai was impacting his reflexes, slowing him down. Enishi would have preferred speed and stealth to defensive bulk without a second's notice. The concealed katana, however, was one weapon that would genuinely aid the warrior in his ordeal. Two-feet long forged steel, with an elegant line of gold forming it's spine. It's effectiveness would be put to the test soon enough. His adversary, as of yet unaware of the samurai's presence, was interrogating a commoner being kept in a primitive cage. ' _where are they?' _the voice hissed, his tone impatient. The commoner looked like he had been 'interrogated' before. from the samurai's field of vision, the man had a bloody gash down his cheek, with what appeared to be a black eye. ' I know nothing! please!' He begged. The warrior grabbed his prey by the throat and pulled him towards the cage's bars, the rush of air escaping the man's throat was audible even from the samurai's range. '_The Six Samurai are MORE than aware of our revolution!' _the voice cooed, as if attempting to sooth an infant, with little success. ' _YOU, ronin, had the previlage of facing these incredible men and women, and lived to tell the tale. You are also the ONLY man I had told of the coming advances! It was HARDLY a coincidence!'_ The man suddenly whipped the defensless victim against the bars again, repeating the gesture twice more before Enishi could hear sobs escaping from the ronin's lips, shaming both himself and his family name. Yet he has now been identified as a man who could have knowledge over the emperor's assassination attempt.

It was time to act.

With a single leap, Enishi leaped into the air, almost stunned in disbelief with the armor's flawless amplification of strength. He landed ten feet away from his target, his footprints creating deep footprints in the cave's cavern. The foe turned around in shock, the blood draining from his face. '_How?'_ he whispered. Enishi charged, unsheathing his new weapon in the process, and unloaded a vicious swing at his defenseless adversary.

Yet it was blocked.

The samurai had no time to react before a kick impacted him right into his arm, both stunning him momentarily...and disarming him in an instant. The katana embedded itself into the ground, five feet away. Before Enishi could recover, another kick was delievered directly to his face. The samurai stumbled backwards, yet held his ground. This man was obviously not alone, but his ally was nowhere to be seen. Yet another blow hit him square in the chest, sending him sprawling against the cave's walls. Multiple shards of rock fell on Enishi's cheek, scratching it. Several seconds passed, and the samurai waited for the next flurry of attacks from the mysterious entity. but nothing happened. Adjusting his helmet, Enishi found that the prisoner had gone, as well as his torturer. Slowly picking himself up, ready in case another attack on him was launched, he slowly advanced foward to retrieve his weapon, firmly embedded into the cave floor. There was no time to waste, The prisoner could reveal details of the assassination attempt, and the samurai decided he would much prefer his target to remain alive.

Mizuho stared at the multiple trees at the very edge of the forest. The sun was beginning to desend, coating the surroundings in a echo of yellow and orange. 'We need to find their encampment.' she muttered. ' The ninja will have the advantage in the night, and if he's called for reinforcements, then running away is futile.' Shinai stood next to her, facing the path below him, his expression sober. ' As you said, the ninjas have the upper hand at night, attempting to take the fight to them here would result in nothing but failure.' Only a handful of birds tweeting in the background served to break the tension in the air. It took a full minute for mizuho to speak her mind. 'I don't think I'm ready to become a samurai.' It was madness, speaking about what was troubling her for quite some time in the middle of a hostile enviorment, Shinai continued to look at the branches beneath his feet, and closed his eyes. ' Mizuho.' he whispered, and turned to face his fellow samurai straight into her eyes. ' It takes a lot of time to adjust to change, you became quite adept at being a spy, being a servent of the emperor, laying your life down on the line for him , that requires a new set of rules, and new methods of thinking.' He edged closer, removing the gap between them, his stare smoldering. Mizuho felt a jolt of electricity surge through her as she stared in kind. What was she_ feeling? ' _We will do our best with the daylight remaining, see if theres any clues as to where our adversary has retreated.' Shinai continued, pausing to move a strand of his red hair. Mizuho couldn't help but blush upon seeing this simple motion, but banished the thought from her mind. She _had _to! Being distracted here, right now, in a hostile situation, was highly dangerous. ' If we find nothing before the sun sets, we're returning to the temple, and inform the shogun of the potential threat these ninjas can be to our mission.' Shinai concluded, and proceded to leap ten feet into the air, landing on the nearst branch, and jumped from foothold to foothold, as stealthily as he could. Mizuho decided to survey the area at ground level. Her chest armor plate, despite their best attempts to fix it, was still inoperable. There was not a lot of precious time left.

Enishi lowered his breathing, his katana in hand, more firmly held this time. The man he was pursuing was not proficent in the art of stealth. Multiple footprints were clearly visible in the slightly baked mud, one set of footprints were messy, indicating a struggle. It wasn't just these prints that the samurai was interested in, however. Knowing that the foe's ally was_ much _more concealed than who he was protecting, Enishi began to look for more subtle hints of prints up in the surrounding trees. Sure enough, slight scratches in the tree branches, combined with abnormal amounts of green leaves fallen to the ground proved one thing that had occured to the samurai's mind.

It was a ninja.

Worse, based on the level of skill and strength the ninja had, it could very well be an elemental ninja, an elite group deployed on missions of great importance. Mizuho had been an excellent ally among the Six Samurai, successfully spying on these outcasts for a year. She discovered these elite ninjas , and found their were six of them. ' Their answer to us.' Enishi thought, smiling at the thought. An unnatural sound, the more audible 'crunch' of the mud, stopped Enishi in his tracks. He paused, listening to the sounds of the forest, taking in all the natural sounds and listened to the next unnatural sound.

A blow to the knee was provided as the answer.

Enishi landed on the ground, falling with a thick 'thud'. The samurai faced upwards, greeted by the sight of a giant earthly hammer proceding to cave in the fallen warriors skull. Enishi rolled, missing the hammer's strike by mere centimetres. The samurai lept up to his feet, and raised his katana to the sillouette facing him. The enemy wasted no time attacking again, swinging a deadly blow with his oversized hammer, Enishi replied in kind, swiping his katana with all his might. The weapons clashed, yet the samurai had the upper hand, with his weapon possessing more range the the equivelant ninja's, Enishi stabbed the katana at the now-exposed adversaries shoulder, the remaining length of the sword holding off the ninja's blunt weapon. It bounced off of well hardened steel. The ninja was incredibly well prepared. Without thinking, Enishi launched a kick towards the ninja's torso, giving him a taste of his own medicine, the foe spun around, both parrying the kick, and launching the hammer in a death swing. The samurai anticipated this, with his armor aiding his strength and speed, Enishi waited until the hammer was just about to impact, then ducked. The hammer missed, and as it struke open air, Enishi stabbed the katana right into the defenseless victim's skull. This time, the strike was successful. The body was held in position by the katana. The hammer falling from it's owners hand. Enishi extruded his weapon, letting the corpse fall to the ground. The blood was a bloody orange, the sun visible within it's pool. Enishi shethed his weapon, and continued following the tracks, getting fresher and thicker with each passing metre. He was getting close...


	4. The beginning,and the end, of a conflict

It was dark. The favoured time for hunting.

Enishi stalked his defenseless prey, wandering around aimlessly for the past hour, holding his blindfolded captive as a human shield. He must have known what had happened. His Ninja ally, now dead, was not going to save him _this_ time! The man was nearing the stream passing through the mountains, perhaps dehydrated. Perfectly natural, yet _utterly_ predictable. The Samurai flowed past the branches and twigs threatening to reveal his presence, a conceptually impossible feat considering the warrior weighed over a tonne, including his armor. There may have been a more crucial motive for spiralling down to the stream, however. The Interrogater needed his prisoner alive, desperate for the information both him and Enishi craved. It was why the Samurai believed to kill his foes rather than imprisoning them, preventing them from draining their resources. The Temple did not hold prison cells.

The Moon was by now floating high in the sky by the time Enishi's target fell to his knees, exhausted. He had not anticapated a Six Samurai interfeing his plans, and fled instead of facing his threat. _'Dishonorable._' Enishi thought. He could hear the muffled cries of the prisoner, his clothing stripped, leaving his skin bare to the elements. Enishi swore. The man would be dead before sunrise, unless he interfered now! It couldn't be helped. The Samurai held his breath, and slowly strode out of his camoflague, walking straight towards his foe. The man noticed the sound, turned towards its source, and even in the pale moonlight, one could see his skin quickly lose its color as he witnessed the warrior stride toward him, part-mirage, part-nightmare. ' A pity.' Enishi teased, circling the man, and his cargo. ' You had the wealth, and the intelligence, to hire a ninja, and yet when all goes wrong, you turn and flee, tail between your legs! You know _nothing_ of honour!' the warrior continued, unleashing his threats. The Interrogater scrambled backwards, clutching at the ground, leaving his captive behind. Enishi could see straight into his eyes. He was scared, as if he had witnessed a Dragon! A surge of pleasure coursed through the Samurai's vains, feeling elevated to be compared to such majestic beasts. ' Rise.' Enishi commanded, growing weary of the coward's fear. The frightened victim obeyed, standing uneasily to his feet. Enishi sprinted towards him, quick as a flash, and swung his katana in a vicious strike, seperating skin and blood from bone. The man launched into the air, his face cut in two. The corpse landed in an unnatural angle, bones pertruding from his neck. A fitting end for a man without honour. Enishi shethed his weapon, and turned to face the Now-free Ronin, blindfolded the entire time, whimpering. The Samurai whipped off the piece of cloth covering his eyes, shocked at who he saw.

It was Yamashi Tokeydo! A former General of the Emperor!

Enishi instantly bowed, being outranked, albeit ironiclly. Yamashi sighed. ' Do not waste your time with such customs.' He strained. 'I am no longer a servent to our Lord, and Time has ravaged me.' Tokeydo suddenly coughed franticlly, coughing up blood, visible even by the diminished moonlight. The man was in poor shape. Worse, he had lost all honour in weeping, unable to flee his captive, the broken mess of flesh and bone behind them, or even to face death with dignity if escape was indeed impossible. 'A Six Samurai.' The man whispered, properly awed. ' I was defending the Emperor when he presented the idea of enhanced super-soliders to the Shogun, instructing him to gather the most powerful, intelligent men throughout Japan, in order to protect and defend our Lord in times of dire need.' Yamashi stared at the Samurai admirably. ' I can see the Shogun has fufilled his task remarkably.' Enishi, however, was not in the mood for idle admiration. 'The Black Luster Solider.' the warrior stated, as clear and consise as he can. ' Where?' the General looked down towards the ground, his eyes closed. ' He resides in the upper regions of Nagoya, preparing to strike the Emperor's fortress when he acquires the nessecery army needed to aid him.' He whispered, realising how precious this information was to release. Enishi rose, towering over the disgraced General. ' Thank you.' He replied, unshething his katana and rearing Tokeydo down with a single strike! It was lightning-quick, and the man had felt no pain. His information, and his death, had restored his honour, both for him, and his family name. ' Your sacrifice will not be forgotton.' the Samurai promised, suddenly becoming weary. With his armor aiding Enishi's reflexes, the Samurai dashed towards the nearest covered area, becoming invisible to the naked eye.

Shinai raised his club, uttering a war cry, and swung the feared weapon at no less than _three_ ninjas, felling them as they stood. It was infuriatingly difficult to see the Samurai warrior's enimies in broad daylight, the sunrise revealing nothing to himself, nor his ally. The Samurai's had made up camp near the outskirts of the forest. Despite Mizuho's best efforts, their enemies had numbers in abundance, and hundreds had crept up to their would-be assassins under the cover of the full moon. Mizuho swung her scythe, decapitating her opponent in a single strike. Yet more bodies took his place, providing the female warrior with an almost insurmountable challenge. She dived, dodging the primitive strikes flurrying left and right, and landed in a fluid motion. Almost as soon as she had done so, Mizuho swung her weapons in an elegant upwards motion, embedding them into her nearest foe's chests, blood extruding from the wounds. Her shoulder armor pieces being utilised to theyre limits, Mizuho raised the corpses, still glued to her scythes, and launched them towards their former companions, resulting in a hoarde of them falling to the bodies' dead weight. Not to be outdone, Shinai raised his twin clubs in a fearsome display of power, swinging them left and right. Some blows struck his victims heads, crushing them as if they were delicate pieces of origami. Others decapitated legs, sending the useless limbs spiralling towards the ground, their former owners collapsing to join them, all fell to the might of the Samurai. The minutes dragged by, and it seemed that the odds were slowly circiling towards the Samurai's favour. The Ninja recruits' standard weapons proving useless against the superior skill and protection the Samurais and their armor provided. Mizuho decapitated her fleeing foe, reeling in disguist as the body ushered a sizeable amount of blood, straight towards her face. Her vision now blurred, the warrior suddenly initated her training as a Spy. She ducked and dived, as if in a choreographed dance, the enemy her puppets. Shinai noticed his companions subtle change in tactics, and charged towards her, his clubs deleivering death to all that stood in his way. The Samurai stood by her side as the rest of the ninja battalion stalled their attack, unsure of what to do, but knowing they were no match for the legendary warriors head on. Unexpectedly, they broke rank, forming a line on either side of the Samurais. Mizuho and Shinai stared at the end of this line, puzzled by the unorthodox display, until they saw what was on the end of the formation.

A towering Horse bellowed towards them. It's rider, A ninja...but not like the enimies they had fought before. This one wore black overalls, subtly tinted with blue. His face was visible, free from the masks the ninja's usually took upon themselves to wore. What made the Samurais adopt defensive positons, however, was the growing orb of water energy the Ninja was seemingly conveying.

Mizuho and Shinai had come face to face with the Elemental Water Ninja.


End file.
